Bull Fighting

YouTube has sparked outrage in Spain by banning videos featuring bloody bullfights from its site.

The web portal pulled the plug on the pablolr89 channel.

A spokesman from the U.S. firm told El Mundo newspaper people could still post videos of bulls with the cape or the bullfighter's stick. But those featuring blood and where the bull is speared or killed are now banned.

A petition has also been set up on the Change.org website, with more than 2,100 signatures already calling for YouTube to reinstate the channel.

Spain's public TV has broadcast a live bullfight for the first time in six years after conservative PM Mariano Rajoy lifted a ban on the tradition. The fight was screened on Television Espanola (TVE).

Pro-bullfighting supporters, who include Rajoy, say the tradition is an art form deep rooted in Spanish history.

The previous socialist government cut live transmissions as they were costly and aired in children's viewing time, traditionally at 6pm.

Rajoy's election last December, and the subsequent change of management at Spain's public broadcaster paved the way for the return of bullfighting to TVE.

TVE will now air a short series of fights in the coming months.

Opponents argue that the sport is barbaric, with the odds heavily stacked against the animals, which suffer unnecessary torment.

The debate over bullfighting has been reignited in Spain after the government recognised the spectacle as an artistic discipline and cultural product , delighting enthusiasts but outraging animal rights campaigners.

Prime minister Jose' Luis Rodri'guez Zapatero's socialist government announced that the ministry of culture will from now on be responsible for the development and protection of bullfighting, which previously fell within the remit of the interior ministry.

The move follows pressure from bullfighting organisations keen to protect their livelihood following a controversial vote to ban bullfighting in the Catalonia region last year.

The ministry of culture said in a statement: As it is understood that bullfighting is an artistic discipline and a cultural product, it was considered that the ministry of culture was the correct place for its development and protection.

The Catalan ban, which will come into effect next January and will not be affected by Friday's decision, will be the first to be introduced in mainland Spain.